The Hypocrisy of Criminalizing Unsupervised Kids Playing at a Park

A majority of Americans think children under the age of 10 shouldn’t be left without a guardian at parks; the Brits are developing the first transgender sitcom; meanwhile, college is probably not “doomed,” despite speculation to the contrary.These discoveries and more below.

Most Americans Want to Criminalize Pre-Teens Playing Unsupervised
A whopping 68 percent of Americans think there should be a law that prohibits kids 9 and under from playing at the park unsupervised, despite the fact that most of them no doubt grew up doing just that.

The Academic/Political Context of the Salaita Affair
This article serves to provide some first-hand background, context, and references regarding the case of Steven Salaita and his aborted employment by the University of Illinois.

Insane New Culver Parking Restriction Signs Are 15 Feet Tall
This is not a test at your optometrist’s office—this is a real, honest-to-goodness sign that you might see if you are trying to park your car in Culver City.

Why Israel’s Fight Against William Schabas May Be Off-Target
Before his foot even touches Gaza’s ground, the Canadian human rights scholar recently appointed to head the United Nations’ inquiry into the latest war there has come under withering preemptive attack.

The Vanishing American Newsroom
One photographer’s unrestricted look at a newspaper’s struggle to survive.

I Will Not Be Returning to Ferguson: Covering the Journalists Covering Ferguson
I had been on the ground helping Al Jazeera America cover the protests and unrest in Ferguson, Mo., since this all started last week.

‘Sex Box,’ a Reality Show Where People Have Sex in a Box on TV, Is a Real Thing for 2015
You might have thought that because it’s 2014, we would have reached a low point for reality television somewhere along the line. That may have been true before today. But now, there is “Sex Box.”

Russia Wants Bulgarians to Stop Vandalizing Soviet Monuments To Look Like American Superheroes
The Moscow Times is reporting that Bulgarian pranksters are repainting Soviet-era monuments so that the Soviet military heroes depicted are recast as American Superheroes.

Banishing Student Emails – Yes We Can!
Last semester, I tried something new: prohibiting my upper-level media studies students from emailing me for any other reason than to set up a time to meet in person.

Here Comes the First Transgender Sitcom
It’s a new British sitcom with a twist.

Different Rules Apply: White Privilege
I want to tell you a story about the difference between knowing and understanding.

The Myth of ‘Minority’
The Atlantic released a report yesterday that this year is the first in which “minorities will outnumber white students” in U.S. public schools.

Study Finds That Brains With Autism Fail to Trim Synapses as They Develop
As a baby’s brain develops, there is an explosion of synapses, the connections that allow neurons to send and receive signals.

Every City Needs Hong Kong’s Brilliant Baggage-Check System
In-town baggage service eliminates the hassle of hauling luggage to the airport or around the city.

Israelis in the U.S. Urge the Jewish Community to Take a Closer Look at Gaza
A group of Israelis living in the U.S. has published an open letter the the American Jewish community, calling on it to join them in opposition to the war in Gaza and the years-long blockade Israel has imposed on the Strip.

Ferguson Police Waited 10 Days to Review Michael Brown Incident Report
Since Michael Brown was shot by Officer Darren Wilson on August 9, reporters have called for the release of the incident report Wilson would have filled out according to proper police procedure.

Should Twitter Have Taken Down the James Foley Video?
On Tuesday night, during my usual rounds of social-media and news sites, I came across a series of photographs that showed, in graphic detail, the beheading of James Foley, an American journalist, by the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham.

Third Party Apps Are Winning the Traffic Battle
News outlets need to make tools pushing personalized content to keep readers on their sites.

The Future of College Is Not As Bleak As You Think
Few magazine editors—myself included—can resist a dash of apocalypse in a cover line, which is why I don’t fault writer Graeme Wood for the question on the front of this month’s Atlantic: “Is College Doomed?”

Related Entries

• August 11, 2014 Where Goes the Neighborhood?
• July 30, 2014 Campus Sexual Assault: What Are Colleges Doing Wrong?